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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rest · mine · patient · stem · foot · coach · mate · row

  1. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. foot — a measure
  5. mate — a friend
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rest — a break
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. mine — for digging
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mate — to breed
  18. rest — what's left
  19. stem — to come from
  20. row — a line
  21. row — to paddle
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. stem — of a plant

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com